Alex Hider
Mitchell McFarland and Jordan Tieman have spent the early part of the golf season battling atop the leaderboard, and Tuesday was no exception.
With a 12-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole, Tieman of West High School pulled into a tie for first place with Wheelersburg’s McFarland at five-under par. McFarland would go on to birdie the hole, and the pair were crowned co-medalists at the Portsmouth West Invitational at Shawnee State Golf Course.
West Union high school took home the team competition with a combined score of 347, while West finished 10 strokes behind the Dragons with a 357. Wheelersburg finished in sixth with a team score of 377. Valley’s Christian Downey also participated, shooting an 18-hole score of 94.
“I’m just as proud of the rest of our team. Cody Finley has some great sand saves to break 90 and Aaron Dyer and Drew Howard grinded out gutsy performances. Buster Boggs stepped in at the last minute for an injured Marty Knittel and did a great job for us,” West golf coach Kevin Downey said.
Tuesday marked the second time in the short golf season that Tieman and McFarland were named co-medalists. On Aug. 12, both players shot a nine-hole score of 33 at The Elks Country Club in a four-team match.
“It just seems like when this two guys get together, they bring out the best in each other,” Downey said
McFarland set the pace for the day, shooting a one-under 35 on the front nine. Starting with the ninth hole, he took advantage of a stretch of two par fives and a short par four, birdieing three straight holes to move to three under.
But as the round continued, Tieman fought back. He stayed right with McFarland, cutting the lead to a single shot in the final few holes.
The Wheelersburg senior had his chances to extend his lead, but couldn’t find the cup on birdie putts on 15, 16 and 17. That set the scene for drama on the 482 par-five 18th.
McFarland was pleased with his round, which he described as “Boring Ball:” Not too many spectacular shots, but not many mistakes, either.
“I didn’t have any bogies, which was a big thing for me,” McFarland said.
A three-time SOC II Player of the Year and an Akron commit, McFarland welcomes the competition from Tieman.
“I enjoy that a lot…it’s good to have him there to push me,” he said. “At the same time, I have to play my game. I can’t get caught up in what he’s doing.”
McFarland and Tieman will hit the links again later this week, this time for a leg up in the SOC II Player of the Year race. The first conference match of the season will take place at Dogwood Hills Country Club in Chillicothe on Wednesday.
Box Score
WEST UNION 347
C Horton 86
E McCarty 86
J Pell 87
T Fowler 88
WEST 357
Jordan Tieman 67*
Cody Finley 89
Drew Howard 99
Buster Boggs 102
CHESAPEAKE 365
Derek Lemley 73
Austin Huthinson 87
Justin Black 92
Liam Thacker 113
VINTON COUNTY 368
A Ward 87
N Waddle 88
A Boothe 90
C Hamon 103
NORTH ADAMS 371
P England 83
B Lung 90
N Lung 99
C Schumaker 99
WHEELERSBURG 377
Mitchell McFarland 67*
Blake Deck 102
M. Craycraft 103
Cole Dyer 105
RIVER VALLEY 403
Logan Sheets 77
B. Cornell 106
Grant Gilmore 109
Cliff Chapman 111
VALLEY DNQ
Christian Downey 94
Chris Slone also contributed to this report. Reach him at 740-353-3101, ext 1930, or on Twitter @crslone. Reach Alex Hider at 740-353-3101 ext. 1931 or on Twitter @PDTSportsWriter.
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